First time in 32 years! Zidane achieves incredible feat on France debut
Zinedine Zidane has opened a new chapter with France by ending a remarkable 32-year wait.
Details: France began their new UEFA Nations League campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory away to Turkiye. The match in Kocaeli was Zidane's first in charge of the national team, and Kylian Mbappe scored the decisive goal as Les Bleus gave their new head coach a winning start.
The result also carried major historical significance. Zidane became the first France head coach in 32 years to win his debut match in charge of Les Bleus. None of his predecessors since the mid-1990s had managed to begin their tenure with a victory.
The last man to achieve the feat was Aimé Jacquet. On February 16, 1994, his first match as France coach ended with a 1-0 friendly victory over Italy in Naples, with Youri Djorkaeff scoring the only goal. Jacquet later led France to their first World Cup title in 1998, with Zidane himself becoming one of the stars of that team.
It is worth noting that Zidane already boasts an extraordinary coaching record at club level. During his spell with Real Madrid, the Frenchman became the first coach to win three consecutive Champions League titles in the modern era, lifting the trophy in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
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Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
